Formula One news
Barrichello oozing with confidence
16 April 2009Rubens Barrichello is filled with optimism heading into Chinese Grand Prix weekend. With Shanghai the scene of the Brazilian's last win to date, the Paulista - who returned home after the Malaysian Grand Prix - is delighted that the FIA classed Brawn's double diffuser as legal this week.
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"I like the track very much, it's one on which I've always gone quite well," said Barrichello, who won the inaugural race in 2004. "The weather is going to be dodgy, maybe just because we've changed the date of the race, but it could play into our hands. I think the first two races have been quite good for the spectators to see the racing, plus the wet has brought more of a show, so I think this one will be no different."
Following Honda's withdrawal from Formula One in December, all employees of the team had seemingly lost their jobs, although Rubens repeats that his positively has never faded. "In all honesty, I think only myself and probably my two kids knew that I was going to race," he said. "It was fun to watch them, and the way that they looked at it: 'he's having a longer holiday, but he's going to go sometime soon!' Not even my wife knew if I was going to race, or the whole of Brazil, so it was nice to see that. I knew the car was going to be good, but I didn't know how good. We knew the engine was very, very strong - as it is - so it was just a dream when they phoned me and said I was going to drive."
The first two races of the season have already featured a variety of weather conditions - with more rain expected this weekend - although cool temperatures had not featured until the teams arrived in China which, for it's first five races, always hosted the event in either September or October. "I think we have a very good tyre for here, and a softer tyre which all the teams might struggle with," Rubens continued. "That may make the race itself very nice because someone might be struggling, and you get overtaking and that's quite nice, but I'm sure we're capable of bringing different tyres that can be better for us drivers; in Australia, the tyres were already graining after five laps and it will be the same here, possibly even more because the track itself is more abrasive, and if it's cold the tyres are going to be effected badly.
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"If this is for the show itself, I don't think it's dangerous for us - danger is the way that you could be driving five seconds slower and another car is catching up quite quickly, but it's lovely for the show itself." During Thursday's press conference, the Brazilian was reminded of how Lewis Hamilton believes that, as the season progresses, more competitive car and driver combinations can rise to the top. "I hope he's wrong!" Barrichello laughed.
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